China has more than
doubled its airbases, air defence positions and heliports at the LAC after the
2017 standoff with India at Doklam. The Chinese side has started constructing
13 new military positions including three airbases, five permanent air defence
positions and four new heliports, a report authored by senior analyst Sim Tack
for the geopolitical intelligence platform StratFor said.
Tack used
satellite imagery to zoom into the exact scale of the build-up. The
construction of three new heliports began in the middle of the current crisis,
giving a clear indication of Chinese intent not just in Ladakh but all across
the LAC.
Four
defence positions within existing airbases and facilities such as additional
runways and shelters to help obscure combat aircraft from observation are under
construction. The report further states that the Chinese military has also
been deploying more air defence systems and fighter aircraft to existing
facilities.
'China's
intensified development of military infrastructure on the Indian border
suggests a shift in Beijing's approach to territorial disputes, forcing New
Delhi to rethink its national security posture,' the Stratfor report said.
According
to the report, China's new developments across India's entire border are likely
to "drive future expansions of Indian military infrastructure near disputed
borders at Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh'.
Warning of
potential escalation of conflict, the report said, 'By forcing India to respond
in kind, China's aggressive strategy is leading to a greater concentration of
military assets in heavily disputed areas along the border that could raise the
risk of potential escalations and sustained conflict.'
Meanwhile, talks between the
corps commanders of India and China failed to yield a breakthrough. Both sides
are adamant on their respective positions and are refusing to budge as the
standoff in eastern Ladakh enters its fifth month.
China
wants India to step back from the strategic heights in the Chushul subsector.
India has made it clear there will be no movement anywhere till the Chinese
agree to a time-bound roadmap on complete de-escalation. But both sides have
agreed to meet again, possibly as early as next week.
India and China have agreed to stop sending troops to their border as their senior army commanders held a sixth round of talks on Monday to ease the prolonged border standoff. The two sides had candid & in-depth exchanges of views on stabilizing situation along LAC in India-China border areas, news agency ANI reported.
"They
agreed to implement consensus reached by the leaders, strengthen communication
on ground, avoid misunderstandings, stop sending more troops to frontline,
refrain from unilaterally changing situation on ground & avoid any action
that may complicate situation," reads the joint statement issued by both
the countries.
The two sides also agreed to hold the 7th round of Military Commander-level
meeting as soon as possible, take practical measures to properly solve problems
on the ground, and jointly safeguard peace ad tranquility in the border area,
it added.
The latest
round of Corps commander-level talks was held on Monday at around 9 am in Moldo
on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) across India''s Chushul
sector in eastern Ladakh went on for over 12 hours and was still underway at 9
pm,
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